KS 5 - MEDIA STUDIES

Year 12 AS

There are three units of study:

• Foundation Production coursework: unit 2730
  This unit is a practical module in which the students produce a print piece using desktop publishing software. The coursework component requires the students to plan and produce a front cover and double page spread from a new teen magazine or a new games console packaging and advert. The unit is worth 40% of the marks at AS level and students are expected to produce a planning folder and 2,000 word evaluation report.
• Textual Analysis: unit 2731
  This unit comprises of two sections. Part one is the study of Action Adventure film and film language and part two is the study of Celebrity and the Tabloid press.
  Students learn about the impact that technical decisions play in the film making process and how choices in camera angles and editing convey meaning to an audience. Similarly, students study the conventions of the tabloid newspaper industry and how the phenomenon of the modern day celebrity is represented in the press.
  This unit requires the student to develop their analytical skills; it calls on their ability to deconstruct Media text and to apply their understanding of concepts and meaning in essay form. Students are expected to sit a written examination for this unit.
  From September 2008 the film analysis will change to a study of TV drama
• Audiences and Institutions: unit 2732
  This unit is the study of the fast moving and ever changing world of New Media Technology. Students will undertake a case study on a new media technology of their choice. This could be anything from mobile phone, digital TV, the music industry, to the internet and the emergence of social networking websites. Students are expected to sit a written examination for this unit

Year 13 A2

There are three units of study:

• Advanced Production coursework: 2733
  Students work in a small team to produce a short film. This can be anything from a promotional music video, a film trailer or opening, a short documentary or series of TV advertisements. The coursework also requires students to produce a planning folder and a 3,000 word evaluation.
• Critical Research Study: unit 2734
  This is an independent research study unit. Students will focus on a chosen topic such as crime in the Media, world cinema or children and TV. During their research students will receive individual tutorials and teachers guidance but this unit is a personal case study and not a taught module. Students are expected to sit a written examination for this unit.
• Issues and Debates: unit 2735
  This unit consists of two sections, film genre and the magazine industry. During the study of this module students will be exploring how categories of film such as road movies and horror films change over time but still retain audience interest by adhering to the conventions of the genre. Students will also engage in a case study of the magazine industry focusing on and comparing two or more lifestyle magazines of their choice and the strategies the institutions use to broaden and reinforce their audience appeal.

Course Books and Equipment

• Planner, pencils, pens, eraser, ruler, folder

Events and Visits

Key Dates